Moderators and censorship: The idea of a Moderator on a listserv is not to sit and choose one posting and not another. If you noticed Jim held back for a while, then when it looked too heated he jumped in and said whoa! and then added another whoa when one of us didn't heed the first whoa. Only then after the second warning did he say that some/one of us was not playing fair and that he was throwing a watch on our notes but that was after a third outburst by a member of the listserv. And he pulled the watch off by the end of the day when the heat finally cooled and now we are back to free flow. That is the way that good moderating works--you don't sit there reading every entry all the time. No one gets their stuff axed unless we have been given a warning. Moderating is like having a friend jump in at the table at the pub,and tells another friend in the group of friends when to cool things down a bit. If things stay heated and on the point of causing a fist fight, sometimes they may have to ask one of his/her friends to step outside and take a breather and come back when they have cooled down--it is not meant to be Nazi like at all when down right. It is meant to be helpful to all as a community of friends--he/she is a member of the listserv too and joins in with conversations (as Pops is doing) too so we can write to them if we think he or she is being too heavy handed. when he/she as said whoa/stop and think about what you are saying (is it Kind/is it True/is it Necessary). Like Anne S. said: it can get miserable and out of hand with out a moderator. I am a moderator on two listservs. It just need a light touch. Thanks Jim, for your moderation--it can at times be a thankless job. PS: Jim, Thanks so much for writing that lovely note for all of us in Royce's Guest Book. Nan > > ************************************** > -- Nan Fowler Adult Education Program Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy River's Crossing, 4th Floor 850 College Station Road University of Georgia Athens, GA USA 30602